Parliament Probes Post-Brexit UK Climate Policy

The upper house of UK parliament, the House of Lords, is probing what environment and climate change policy in the UK will look like after it has left the European Union. The Lords' Energy and Environment Sub-Committee launched a short inquiry and the first evidence session will take place October 26 and will hear evidence from leading academics and non-governmental organisations.

The UK has previously pursued an ambitious climate change policy through its EU membership and the majority of environmental standards stem from EU law. The purpose of this inquiry is to examine what the UK's key interests are in shaping a new environment and climate change policy in advance of Brexit negotiations and the level of co-operation needed with the EU to achieve these aims, the House of Lords says.

The committee will explore other issues such as what international obligations and commitments will be relevant for a future policy as well as to what extent the UK will continue to have an interest in aligning policy to the EU.

Houses of Parliament

There will be two evidence sessions. The first will examine what the UK’s legislative position will be with regard to the environment and climate change after Brexit and how environmental protection can be enforced when the UK leaves the EU. The second will focus on the priorities for environmental policy after Brexit and whether there is a rationale for developing environmental policy in line with the EU.

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee is continuing to interview academics and industry figures as part of another enquiry: the economics of UK energy policy. It will consider the present mix of policy interventions and subsidies in the energy market to see if they have failed and if so, how they can be put right. It began this in September and the findings are expected to be published some time next spring.

UK prime minister Theresa May said October 2 she plans to trigger formal Brexit negotiations with the EU by the end of March 2017, by invoking Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty. This would mean the very earliest the UK would leave the EU is spring 2019.

William Powell.